Global Navigation Satellite Systems Engineering, Policy, and Design
Raytheon Missiles & Defense selected Orolia’s rugged time and frequency system to support its Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) radar program, an advanced air and missile defense system.
By Inside GNSS
In a feelgood two-and-a-half minute video cartoon aimed well below its audience’s head, the XinhuaNet.com news service explains BeiDou advantages over GPS and other GNSS. Principally, the script stresses the satnav system’s two-way short message service (SMS) texting capability that can stand in for cellular communications in remote areas and in case of natural disasters that may disable cellular base stations.
Set to a loping synthesized country rock soundtrack, the entertainment-with-a-message follows a passenger bus through a remote desert. When Buzz the Driver, spooked by a snake, deviates from his planned course, a BeiDou monitoring station quickly detects the error, generates an alarm and sends a message: “Hey, keep yourself focused!”
The animation gives a nod to other GNSS by stating that “Me and other family members are compatible and interoperable at the user level, which allows us to work together.”
The UK Ministry of Defence Equipment and Support office tasked Raytheon to develop a prototype system to exploit assured and resilient position navigation and timing information derived from GNSS, according to a statement.
By Inside GNSS
The European Commission cut its space budget for the next seven years but kept the Galileo and Copernicus satellite programs largely on track. The move came after intense negotiations over a 1.8-trillion-euro European Union budget seeking to absorb and remedy economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.
By Inside GNSS
Hackers exposed another vulnerable chink in U.S. national infrastructure over the weekend, in an attack on GPS manufacturer Garmin that began late Thursday, July 23. Although the cybersecurity strike, apparently aimed at extorting a ransom, did not explicitly include the GPS signal, it disabled two large GPS user communities: general aviation (private pilots and some larger commercial flight operators) and fitness enthusiasts. Both found their Garmin devices and apps unresponsive.
By Inside GNSS
The European GNSS Agency (GSA), the operational agency of the European Commission for Galileo and EGNOS, is launching its MyGalileoDrone competition on July 17. This contest is targeting the design and development of drone-based applications or services, using a Galileo-enabled receiver, that address the EU’s key priorities such as the Green Deal, and support the EU Recovery Plan for Europe.
By Inside GNSS
Britain has signed a £900 million ($1.135 billion) deal to buy a part share of satellite operator OneWeb, a low-Earth orbit constellation in-the-making, designed to provide global high-speed broadband services. There had been speculation that the government intended thereby to generate its own satellite-based navigation signals, as it has been shut out of Galileo security signals by its Brexit move. Some satnav experts quickly dashed that notion, but others demonstrated that it just may be possible.
By Inside GNSS
After a successful launch on the afternoon of June 30, the third Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite now heads to orbit under its own propulsion. The satellite has separated from its rocket and is using onboard power to climb to its operational orbit, approximately 12,550 miles above the Earth.
By Inside GNSS
Five organizations representing thousands of companies and millions of Americans have launched a new coalition to protect end users of GPS, following the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC’s) April 22 decision to permit Ligado Networks to operate a terrestrial wireless network using its satellite spectrum.
By Inside GNSS
Microchip Technology Inc. has released a software update for its BlueSky GNSS Firewall product, providing a higher level of resiliency against GPS vulnerabilities for systems dependent on GPS signal reception. Such critical infrastructure systems include power utilities, financial services, mobile networks and transportation, all relying on GPS-delivered timing to ensure ongoing operations.
By Inside GNSS
The U.S. Department of Defense awarded a $1.7 million contract to Orolia Defense and Security for multiple BroadSim advanced GPS simulator systems for testing facilities and field test assets.
By Inside GNSS
The fourth GNSS Raw Measurements Task Force Workshop gathered more than 200 participants from 32 countries in an online experience in late May. A keynote presentation by Frank van Diggelen from Google led the charge, unveiling recently updated Google tools for logging and analyzing GNSS measurements on the Android platform. The European GNSS Agency (GSA) hosted.
By Inside GNSS
The China Satellite Navigation Office (CSNO) announced completion of two years of testing of BeiDou inter-satellite links, an innovative feature of the GNSS that will reportedly produce greater accuracy for users on Earth. The test campaign encompassed 29 satellites of the third generation (BDS-3) of the now global system.
By Inside GNSS
